More support for free clinics

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Heather Hahn, an editor for the United Methodist Church in Arkansas, has written to add to earlier information about the existence of free medical clinics in Arkansas.

I should have said that my posts encouraging Little Rock to host a mass free medical/dental clinic (MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said last night he'd raised $800,000 toward that cause if we could come up with the venue) was not meant as disparagement of the many volunteer efforts to reach people without health coverage.

The mass clinics, wildly successful elsewhere, serve huge numbers of people, draw many medical volunteers and would demonstrate to a national audience that this is a city that cares.

So why not call or write Mayor Mark Stodola (mayor@littlerock.org), North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays (mayor@northlittlerock.gov.ar) or County Judge Buddy Villines (cojudge@co.pulaski.ar.us) and get them to use their good offices to find a venue and operational help to stage one of these mass clinics. Verizon Arena, the Statehouse Convention Center or the State Fair are all public facilities that seem likely candidates. It would be good for the city to be seen nationally as a merciful place. Perhaps some corporate philanthropists would want to help.

Who will help Little Rock if her own people do not? Picture doctors and nurses on those trucks streaming into Little Rock in Larry Obstinik's famous 1957 photograph.

Meanwhile, more from Heather Hahn:

I just saw your follow-up to your free medical clinic posting this morningon the Arkansas Times blog. I am the editor of the Arkansas UnitedMethodist, the state's denominational newspaper. Through my reporting, Ilearned from the Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics that there arenearly 30 free medical clinics across the state. Most meet only once ortwice a month. Harmony Health Clinic isn't alone. Here in Pulaski County,there is also the weekly Shepherd's Hope Clinic at Oak Forest UnitedMethodist Church in Little Rock each Thursday night. The clinic is apartnership between Oak Forest and Fellowship Bible Church, thoughvolunteers from other congregations also help. The clinic just added dentalservices in September. In North Little Rock, Levy United Methodist also haspartnered with St. Vincent Medical Center to provide a health clinic. Thereare likely others I'm forgetting.

All of which is to add that many of the state's houses of worship andmedical professionals are already engaged in providing free care of somesort, which I thought you should know.

But please know, this is in no way suggesting I don't think health carereform is necessary. Even with all these volunteer efforts, it's still notenough to make up for the insurance shortfall that affects hundreds ofthousands of Arkansans who are too rich for Medicaid, too young for Medicareand too poor to afford private health insurance. All of these clinics areoverrun and quickly fill up their time slots minutes after they open. I haveno doubt another free clinic would find itself quickly packed with peoplelined up the night before.

As a longtime religion reporter (I used to work for the Democrat-Gazette),one of my great joys is sharing the ways congregations of all sorts step upto try to fill in the gaps in social services. The manpower Arkansas'faithful provide ‹ whether it's clearing brush after a bad storm orproviding free health screenings and dental checkups ‹ is sometimes nosubstitute for the kind of financial support, regulation and oversight onlythe federal government can provide.